Corporate Management

Under the same ownership since 1983, consistency of Attronica's ownership and growth is unique in this dynamic industry.

Vivek Karkhanis

President & COO

As President effective June 1, 2014, Mr. Vivek Karkhanis is responsible for day-to-day oversight of activities of the corporation, including marketing/sales, production, personnel, and financial transactions. Prior to this appointment, Mr. Karkhanis had four years experience as COO of Attronica and nine years' experience with Attronica in management positions of increasing scope and responsibility, from Oracle consultant, to Director of Operations, to General Manager. Before arriving at Attronica, Mr. Karkhanis held various positions in business process consulting and in systems development with several companies in Mumbai (Bombay), India. Mr. Karkhanis holds an MBA in Finance from the University of Pune, India; a B.S. in Engineering from Bombay University; and served as Visiting Faculty for Chartered Accountants Institute of India in Mumbai.

Atul Thakkar (Tucker)

CEO

Atul Thakkar serves as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Attronica. Co-founding Attronica in 1983, Mr. Thakkar has grown the company from a small business of five employees to about 60 employees, two locations, and revenues reaching over $70 million.

Mr. Thakkar oversees corporate finances, new business expansions, and company initiatives. Prior to founding Attronica, Mr. Thakkar served in various financial, sales, marketing, and technology executive management positions, including General Manager at Tri-Electronics, and Assistant Vice President for Marketing at American Satellite Corporation.

Mr. Thakkar holds a Bachelor of Technology degree in Electrical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (I.I.T), Bombay, India; a Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, IL; and a Master of Business Administration from Loyola University, Chicago, IL.

Carol P. Cornwell

Senior Vice President & Chief Quality Officer

Carol Cornwell is Senior Vice President, Chief Quality Officer, and co-founder of Attronica, and a member of Attronica's Board of Directors. As Senior Vice President, Ms. Cornwell shares executive responsibility for the financial status and growth of the company including strategic planning and programs, and provides executive leadership of Attronica’s ISO 9001-based quality management system.

Prior to Attronica, Ms. Cornwell had a decade of experience in the telecommunications and information systems industries. Ms. Cornwell served at American Satellite Corporation as a senior manager in various positions including Network Design, Engineering/New Product Development, Customer Service, Sales Administration, and Network Information Services. She also served as Senior Project Manager for Westat, Inc., and as Senior Research Associate for the Bureau of Social Science Research, Inc.

Ms. Cornwell holds a Master of Arts degree in Quantitative Research Methods from the University of Illinois.

Niel Thakkar (Tucker)

Senior Vice President

Co-Founder Niel Thakkar is Senior Vice President and a member of Attronica's Board of Directors. He provides nearly thirty years' experience in growth and development of Attronica's Fortune 500 commercial accounts and public sector accounts, instrumental to the company's start-up in 1983 to the achievement of nearly $70 million in revenues for 2015. Mr. Thakkar attended University in Bombay, India, majoring in mathematics.

Prior to joining Attronica, Mr. Tajdar co-founded and managed Expert Systems Integrators (Bethesda, MD), where he established corporate policy and oversaw technical training and business administration.

With 25+ years of experience in information technologies, Mr. Tajdar holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering from New York University and a Master of Science degree in Computer Science from UCLA. He also holds numerous technology industry certifications, including Microsoft Certified Professional, Certified Novell Engineer, CISCO certification, and enterprise-level certifications from all major computer manufacturers.

Esmail Sadeghi

Vice President, MIS

Mr. Sadeghi has 30+ years of experience as a college faculty, trainer, presenter, and software developer. He worked as associate professor of Computer Information Systems at Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, Michigan for 11 years and has done training and teaching in various colleges and training centers. Throughout his career, Mr. Sadeghi has been involved not only in developing network solutions, but database and custom application solutions as well. Mr. Sadeghi joined Attronica in 1998 to expand Attronica’s division of MIS and Software Engineering in the area of software development and web design and development. Mr. Sadeghi has a Master of Science degree from Villanova University, Villanova, Pennsylvania. He is certified by Microsoft Corporation as MCSE and MCT. He also serves as Adjunct Faculty Member with the Howard County Community College and Montgomery College in Maryland.